this post was submitted on 09 May 2025
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I know it's a dumb meme, but strong disagree on grid cities. They always violate the natural landscape of the city, and are only easier to navigate if the land is very flat, or if you are driving.
The windy roads of organically developed cities look confusing on a map, but are often way easier to navigate and understand when on foot. Wayfinding is instead done in terms of natural features, e.g. go downhill towards the river until you hit the main street.
Windy roads help prevent drivers from falling asleep/going on auto pilot
Maybe not an issue in a city where you constantly stop
Grid cities, specially when combined with tall buildings, also tend to create more pronounced microclimate issues and "heat islands".
San Fransico has a varied terrain and enviroment that cause microclimates on is own, but the grid layout means the temperature can change as much as 9F/5C from one block to the next.
Interesting, why do grids cause that?
Air currents and long straight road surfaces heating up simultaneously as the sun moves.
Long straight roads in grids can cause the air to "stick" to the ground as wind moves overhead. And the sun hitting roofs and sides of buildings over shorter periods mean less "stored heat".
Some of it can be alleviated by having trees along the sidewalks. Since they help disperse wind and creates shade for the concrete/asphalt that store heat a lot longer.
EDIT: If you have more "random" road layouts with trees, there's less sun heating up the sidewalk and road. And the wind is more likely to be pushed around and prevent hot air from stagnating or circulating in an area.
Navigating London by foot without GPS is pretty much impossible if you don't live here. And even after 10 years some parts are so fucking confusing... On the other hand I've learned the layout of Barcelona on my second trip.